


Take a break

by seiden_spinner



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Comfort, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Naked Cuddling, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:27:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seiden_spinner/pseuds/seiden_spinner
Summary: “Ask something of me,” he said. But what could Thanatos ask of him?
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 403





	Take a break

Mortals might be ignorant of many things and let their superstitions get the best of them, but there is one thing they seem to understand better than Chthonic gods and Olympians alike—the passage of time.

In the past, Thanatos, too, failed to understand why the mortals were so convinced that time could change its pace. As someone who had both all of it and none of it on his hands, he was of the opposite opinion and could actually back it up. His scythe would wait for no one. Charon’s boat would wait for no one. He didn’t know much about Hermes’ methods, but waiting definitely wasn’t on the list of things one would associate with him.

Being with Zagreus, however, made Thanatos re-examine what he believed was true.

Bit by bit, he came to realize that time was indeed capable of the weirdest tricks. Somehow, it would slow down and drag whenever his job demanded him all for itself and kept him on the surface—had he not known better, he would think something happened to Helios and his chariot. And whenever he stole a moment to check on Zag or returned back home, time would fly like Artemis’ arrows and was just as deadly when it ran out and Zagreus and he had to part again.

There was no longer such a thing as _no time_ for him—only _not enough_. And if that was what the mortals had to live with, he could probably understand why they feared him so much.

So when he feels Zagreus’ need for his assistance after what seems like aeons spent apart, he answers the call immediately.

It’s the arena in Elysium again; lately his stubborn cherished one has taken to summoning him here and hardly anywhere else ( _“I think two against two is only fair. Besides, I bet you like it when Theseus finally shuts up. Deep down, I’ll give you that, but you still like it, don’t you, Than?”_ )

He _does_ like it, and more than that he likes to see Zagreus both victorious and unscathed. So he swings his scythe and watches the Champion’s face contort in a mixture of disbelief, indignation, and horror. Serves him right.

It doesn’t take long for Thanatos’ scythe to find and claim its targets. But when the forms of Theseus and Asterius scatter in a myriad of lights, Zagreus suddenly turns away from the sight and hollers over the surrounding cacophony, “Hey Than! Ask something of me sometime!”

Not his usual “Thanks!”, not even “See you at home!”, but _this_.

It takes Thanatos by surprise. So much so that he lingers a split moment longer than usual before he remembers that Zagreus’ call came in the middle of assignment and he’s yet to finish his job on the surface. He shifts out of the arena without _his_ usual “Don't die” or “See you later”, Zag’s words rumbling in his ears like drums of war.

Why would Zagreus say something like that? Why that very moment? Why?

The chariot of Helios appears in the sky and disappears from it, the number of mortals Thanatos sends on steadily grows, and Zagreus’ request keeps haunting him day and night, lodged in his heart like the sweetest of thorns.

 _“Ask something of me,”_ he said. But what could Thanatos ask of him?

To come back home? It has already been revealed that Zag can't leave for good—and even if he could, Thanatos would never ask him to abandon his escape attempts. Not now, not when he knows, when he _understands_ just how much they mean for Zagreus.

(A mere thought of being separated forever still hurts more than words could describe, but what’s a life without a little pain, right?)

To be with him? Zagreus already chose him over everyone else, and the competition was nothing to frown at. Still is, to tell the truth, and Zagreus keeps choosing him, time after time after time.

(And Thanatos still can’t quite believe this is for real, but that’s beside the point.)

To take care of himself? He knows Zagreus tries to, if the persistence with which he pins the Butterfly to his robes before jumping out of the courtyard window is anything to go by.

(Thanatos never told him that he can feel the echo of pain inflicted by each and every cut marking that lithe body whenever his keepsake accompanies Zagreus on his quest. Zagreus never told him that he guessed as much, so it’s a fair trade.)

The heat of Zag’s skin, his kisses tasting of pomegranate, the way his mismatched eyes glaze over when he watches Thanatos unravel in his hands—Thanatos knows it all, cherishes it all, and thanks the Fates for it all. What more could he possibly ask for? Is there even such a thing in existence that Zagreus hasn't bestowed on him yet?

By the time he’s finished his work and returned home, he still hasn't reached a conclusion. The hall welcomes him with deep quiet, and it doesn’t take him long to find out that the House is all but deserted. Save for the shades and Cerberus dozing off on his bedding, there is just Hypnos and himself; even Dusa seems to be dusting the sconces in some faraway corner of the household.

After some deliberation, he confirms with his brother that it's been a while since Zag left. Promptly ignoring the expression on Hypnos’ face that all but screams _“Smitten, aren’t we?”_ , he retreats to his usual vantage point on the balcony.

As he watches the river, he allows himself a sliver of hope that maybe battling his way out along with what follows will make Zagreus forget about what he said in Elysium. The hope is short-lived, though—it’s not Lethe that carries Zag back home, after all.

He’s still mulling over how—or whether—he should address this situation, when the quiet of the House is interrupted by the sharp sound of Hypnos yelping, which could only mean one thing.

_He’s back._

“You look like you could use some sleep!” he hears his brother chirp from behind the wall that separates them and somehow, it is then that an idea comes to him.

It’s… weird, to say the least, and absolutely unnecessary at that, but Zagreus didn’t specify what he could and could not ask for, right?

Seeing Zagreus unscathed and reasonably cheerful as though his return wasn’t due to some messy death almost makes Thanatos hold his tongue on the matter of his request. But then he imagines it, how it could go, and oh, he just can’t _not_ want it a little, can he?

(Before Zagreus, he had only a vague idea of how want worked. There was always something he _needed_ to do, was _expected_ to do, so save for one inconsiderate fling there was hardly anything that he had time and capacity to want for himself. And although it is still a largely uncharted territory from him, it would be a blatant lie to say Zag and he haven’t been making progress as of late.)

“Say…” he begins quietly once they lock eyes. “How about we get out of here... for a while?”

He shoots a quick look in the direction of Zag’s chambers, and judging by how the other’s face lights up instantly there’s no need for him to say a word more.

So he doesn’t—instead he just shifts to the bedroom he now knows better than his own. Not that it buys him much time, though—by the moment he’s propped his scythe against the wall and started unbuckling his sword Zagreus is already there.

“Need help with that thing?”

He opens his mouth, “I've got this” already on the tip of his tongue. Then he thinks better of it and swallows the words he’s all too used to; instead, a quiet “If you don’t mind” falls from his lips, earning him a low appreciative hum.

It’s far from the first time that Zagreus helps him undress, and yet, for some reason, it feels like one. Once his sword joins his scythe by the wall, Zag’s deft fingers relieve him of every single piece of armor, and soon his robes rest at his feet like a pool of darkness.

“My turn now,” he says hoarsely, not at all unaffected by the way Zagreus’ eyes caress his naked form. It’s been a while, really, and he can’t say he doesn’t want _this_ , not if he’s honest with himself, but what he has in mind… that would be just as good.

Somewhere in the middle of his task time does one of its weird tricks again.

One moment he’s unclasping Zag’s belt and pondering whether he should put it somewhere or just let it drop on the carpet, and the next they’re already in bed and kissing. He feels Zag’s hands on him, but despite all the heat filling the space between the two of them the touches are light and unobtrusive—merely an invitation, not a demand.

“What would you want?” Zagreus all but purrs against his lips and oh, he could get himself drunk on this voice alone. “Tell me, Than. What is it that Death himself would prefer?”

“You,” he says as he rolls over on his back and guides Zag’s head to his chest. “Like this.”

“Oh. Oh, okay,” Zagreus replies, seductiveness fading from his voice like a tide rolling back to the sea. But when his hand tries to retreat from where it has already found the skin of Thanatos’ inner thigh, Thanatos catches it by the wrist and places it back.

“This I want too,” he says softly. “But something tells me you didn’t get it easy out there, so… Let’s just rest for now, alright?”

What they share is called a bond for a reason, so it doesn’t take Zagreus long to recognise his suggestion for what it is.

“I can’t believe it,” Zag says, his eyes wide, as he looks up at him. “You’re really asking to _sleep_ with me!”

His voice is brimming with both disbelief and unbearable fondness, and Thanatos just can’t help but chuckle at that.

“ _Hmph._ What gave me away.”

 _I want to wake up with you_ , he thinks as Zagreus makes himself comfortable in the circle of his arms as though he really intends to sleep. _I want you to be the first thing I see when I open my eyes. But that’s too much to ask, isn’t it?_

It’s not his intention to sleep either—it’s arguably the first time that he sees Zag so calm and content, and he wants to commit every little sigh and stir to his memory. Carefully, he cards his fingers through Zag’s unadorned hair so as not to disturb his repose. And maybe it’s the repetitiveness of his motions, or the warmth that swells in his chest, or maybe even both but at some point he lets his eyes close, and that’s actually all it takes.

He can’t say how much time has passed by the moment he regains his consciousness, but his wakening is different from what he remembers. For once, he can sense no urgency to be somewhere across the world and get a job done tugging at his entire being, and it’s actually quite… nice. Selfishly, he keeps his eyes closed to prolong the moment a little; he’s just not ready to find himself alone in the bed not his own, not yet.

But when he finally braces himself and opens his eyes, he can’t believe what he sees. Lying on his side next to him, his bent arm for a pillow and his lips curled in a dreamy smile, there is Zagreus.

“You’re here,” he breathes out when he finally finds his voice. Zagreus blinks and smiles wider.

“Where else would I be?” he says then as though it’s absolutely nothing to be surprised about. "You’re too beautiful when you sleep to even look away, not to mention leave.”

“Especially so with my bed hair, I must think,” Thanatos grumbles and tries to blow said hair away from his eyes to distract himself from what his heart does in response to such unabashed praise.

Although Zagreus is no stranger to voicing his appreciation, it usually has to do with things Thanatos worked on in one way or another. His ability to shift wherever he wants, his skills with the scythe and sword, the way he carries himself—these are understandable. His appearance, however… When he was younger, he didn’t think much of it and thus never entertained the idea that one day there might be a person in his life who would. If someone told him what his honorable elder sisters had in plans for him back then, he would probably slice their head off without a second thought.

And yet there he is, in the bed of the most stunning god he’s ever met who just so happens to find _him_ easy on the eye.

“The envy of all the Underworld and Olympus, no less,” Zagreus says in a solemn voice as if in response to his musings. Then, brushing Thanatos’ bangs back and tucking the tousled strands behind his ear, he adds, “I’m serious, though. You _are_ breathtaking.”

“Cut it,” he says, aiming for a warning, but somehow it comes out soft. “Or else we won’t be getting out of bed anytime soon.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

For a moment, he doesn’t speak, both considering the option and searching for signs that his time is up and he has to go. Much to his surprise, there are none; for all he knows, it might be just another trick of time, but he welcomes it nonetheless.

“Well, let’s stick to it, then.”

Zagreus’ hand cups his cheek, and he’s all too willing to lean forward and let their lips lock. He doesn’t taste pomegranate this time, but the smile on Zag’s lips is just as sweet, if not sweeter. And before he melts into it all he only has a heartbeat of time to make a note to himself to drop by the Temple of Styx later and procure a bottle of Nectar from his elder brother as a thank-you gift for Hypnos, who gave him the best idea possible without even knowing it.

Later still, Hyphos finds not one but two bottles of Nectar sitting on the desk in his chambers. There is no note accompanying the bottles, but he nods at them understandingly and then grins—as though praising himself a little for a job well done.


End file.
